Lifestyles of the poor and nameless

I know I'm a little early for the "2/3 of the year" mark, but I started my new year's resolution check-in. Here's where I measure up against my resolutions:

1. Get in shape: I was doing well for a while...working out about 5 days/week. I lost a size. But then I got tired of my gym. There's only 3 treadmills there---one of them is for walking only, and one of them is broken. There are no classes, and I need classes to break the monotony of the one treadmill. It's mostly middle-aged white men and Black men who only date white women at the gym; I'm often the only female in there. So I've got no friends there (aside from the 16 year old boy and 39 year old man who tried to talk to me----and I hide from them). Now that all the excuses are out, I guess I need to buckle down and get back to the business of working out. Theoretically, I could lose 24 lbs by the next check in, but I'll say 20 is my minimum goal for December.

2. Become more spiritual: I am happy to say that this is progressing nicely. I haven't been doing any Bible-reading, but I've definitely been praying more, and I don't feel as "lost" as I did at the beginning of the year. JC and I are back on speaking terms. Hopefully, by the end ofthe year, I'll be on top of the Bible readings and all that, and I'm definitely looking forward to being able to pass along blessings. That's right y'all....Jesus is my homeboy.

3. Become more social: At the last check-in in April, I was struggling because I didn't have a hairdresser out here. Well, I still don't have a hairdresser, so I go back to NYC and get my hair done. I'll alternate between the Afro-Perm ponytail and theI-just-got-my-hair-done-but-humidity-jacked-it-up look. Hair is a staple for social activity. The best outfit won't help much if you are walking around with Diana Ross hair all the time. It's gotta be all or nothing.I still don't have a car, and I still hate the bus schedule, so yes, I am a hermit. I'm not too sure what, if anything I will do about this.

4. Get rid of stupid men: I can't say that I am holding on to any stupid men. I have quite a few from back in the day who reappear at times, but that's mostly their effort. I don't reach out to them *usually*. It is just enough excitement to pass the time, but not so much that I am emotionally drained.

5. Pass the bar by 2005 or find a new hustle: Woo Hoo. Thank God I passed the NY February bar. I may or may not take the NJ bar next year,but either way, I'm an attorney :-D.

6. Develop at least one business plan before the end of the year: I haven't worked on the biz plan for my magazine since April, although Iam doing research for it here and there. My book on law school is mostly finished but some research has to be done. I'm spending most of my time researching real estate investment. I recently got a financial planner to help maximize my pennies. So I'm active, but not focused....gotta work on that.

All in all, I've made some progress but I still have a way to go if I plan to meet these resolutions.*Sigh* I'll check in again in December.